Every Wisconsin Badgers athlete competing in the Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics will feature 116 medal events across 16 different sport disciplines. At the University of Wisconsin, the one event that really matters is women's ice hockey.

A dozen former and current Badgers hockey players will begin suiting up for their respective nations when the ice hockey competition begins with preliminary matches on Thursday in Milano/Cortina, Italy.

Here are the players to know who will be competing for Canada, Czechia, and Team USA, the latter also having the benefit of current University of Wisconsin athletic trainer Stefanie Arndt and former UW director of operations/equipment manager Sis Paulsen on the staff.

Team USA

Britta Curl-Salemme, 25

The North Dakota native played for UW from 2018-24, where she won three national championships (2019, 2021, 2023) and served as team captain for two seasons. She finished her collegiate career as the program's all-time leader in games played with 181, and ranks eighth in program history with 179 points.

Currently playing in the Professional Women's Hockey League, where her Minnesota Frost team won the league title in 2025, she has won gold medals with Team USA at the 2023 and 2025 World Championships, and silver medals at the 2021 and 2024 World Championships.

Laila Edwards, 21

The Ohio native will compete in her first Olympic Games after representing the U.S. at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships. She led the country in goals with 35 while playing for the Badgers last season and collected six points in four games during the 2025 Rivalry Series. Edwards was the first Black woman to play for the U.S. women's senior national team and will now be the first Black woman to compete for the U.S. women's Olympic team.

Laila Edwards has done dozens of interviews leading up to the Olympics. I wanted to know what she hadn't been asked that people would find interesting, and her answer surprised me: "People haven't asked me, 'Do you still love hockey?'"https://t.co/9PpYRERKga
— Todd Milewski (@ToddMilewski) February 4, 2026

Caroline Harvey, 23

Harvey will compete in her second Olympics after securing a silver medal at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she was the youngest player on the roster. A defender, Harvey currently leads all NCAA players in points (41) and assists (30) and could be the first overall pick in the upcoming Professional Women's Hockey League draft. The Salem, New Hampshire, native is the current captain for the Badgers and is the school's all-time defensive point leader with 178 career points.

Caroline Harvey was just 19 when she became the youngest player on Team USA's women's hockey roster at the 2022 Olympics. Now 23, the 2x Olympian is returning with four years of experience and a desire for redemption after falling short against Canada in the gold medal game. pic.twitter.com/v4k99gHiPv
— TMJ4 News (@tmj4) January 30, 2026

Hilary Knight, 36

Knight is not only the most experienced Olympian on the 2026 roster, but also the most experienced women's hockey player in U.S. history, having played in a record 22 Olympic games. The Team USA captain since 2023, Knight will be the first American hockey player to compete in five Olympics. The Sun Valley, Idaho, native is Wisconsin's second all-time leading scorer with 262 points, won two national championships (2009, 2011) and currently captains the Seattle Torrent in the PWHL.

A five-time Olympian, captain and competitor who finds another level when Team USA needs it most.

Read about captain Hilary Knight’s journey and pursuit for gold at the #WinterOlympics in Milan: https://t.co/zXBRPAEvqY pic.twitter.com/VBnsEt939U
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 3, 2026

Ava McNaughton, 21

McNaughton is one of three goaltenders on the Team USA roster and is the second-youngest player on the team. She was named the HCA Goaltender of the Year in 2024–25 and made her U.S. senior national team debut at the 2025 IIHF World Championships. The Seven Fields, Pennsylvania, native currently ranks second in the NCAA with a 1.27 goals-against average.

Kirsten Simms, 21

Simms will make her Olympic debut after stints on the 2024 and 2025 World Championship teams. She eclipsed the 200-career point mark earlier this season, becoming one of nine Badgers to reach the milestone. Simms played the hero at the 2025 NCAA Championship, scoring both the game-tying and game-winning goals against Ohio State to secure the Badgers' eighth national championship.

You might not know @usahockey forward Kirsten Simms by name yet, but you may have been introduced to the Plymouth native in March.

A national champion with @BadgerWHockey, the second-youngest player on Team USA is confident and clutch before her Olympic debut. @Local4News 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/iPCp4R2PmX
— Joel Sebastianelli (@JJSebastianelli) January 30, 2026

Team Canada

Emily Clark, 30

A member of the 2019 Wisconsin championship team, Clark tallied 28 points off of 14 goals and 14 assists in just 34 games played in that title season. She noticed 146 points in 147 games. Clark has previously won a gold and silver medal with the Canadians.

Ann-Renee Desbiens, 31

Desbiens served in net for Wisconsin from 2013-17, accumulating a 99-14-9 record with a .955 career save percentage. She earned the 2017 Patty Kazmaier award as a Badger, and led the Badgers to four Frozen Fours, breaking the NCAA record for shutouts. She won a silver medal in 2018 and gold in 2022, when she made 38 saves in the final game against USA.

Sarah Nurse, 31

Nurse played with the Badgers from 2013-17, serving as assistant captain in 2016-17 and earning Second-Team All-American status that same year. She posted a tournament-leading 18 points at the 2022 Olympics as Canada defeated USA in the final, with Nurse notching a goal and assist.

Blayre Turnbull, 32

She played for Wisconsin from 2011-15, earning the team's Rookie of the Year in 2012 and serving as the team's captain and was an All-WCHA First-Team selection as a senior. In her junior year, she scored five shorthanded goals, which set a program record, and was the most in the NCAA that season. She also led Wisconsin in assists (22) and was second on the team in points (40).

Daryl Watts, 26

Watts spent three years with the Badgers from 2019 to 2022, leading the NCAA in scoring during the 2019-20 season with 74 points. She helped the Badgers win the 2021 National Championship after scoring the game-winning overtime goal against Northeastern. Watts joins the squad after 52 points for the Toronto Sceptres in the PWHL across two seasons.

Czechia

Adéla Šapovalivov, 19

Šapovalivova is the first European to play for UW, and its first to represent a country in the Olympics other than the USA or Canada. Šapovalivová has gathered 18 points in her rookie season as a Badger, with eight goals and 10 assists.

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